did i say 1st of novemeber? because i meant... whenever i feel so inclined to change it. anyways.
i think my top tracks for TL are He Also Serves, Lillie, The Sleepwalker and Demons Dance Alone. the fluidity of the setlist is... fun, i guess, but i wish some of those were on TL Bimbo's. ah well.
what really stands out to me about the start of the RCB Trilogy is the ghost stories. they are, without a doubt, my favorite part. they all radiate tension and hesitance. i think they're particularly visually compelling. the hazy, dreamlike visuals of The Unseen Sister stands out in particular. some of the effects used are distinctly a product of the technological capabilities of the time (thinking of the visual roughness of Milton), but it also can work to their benefit (i'm fond of how it works out in Perchance to Dream).
their drive to tell stories is clearly stronger than ever with this project, and it would seem to me that Bunny Boy played a large part in that. the idea of having a narrator connected to (but not necessarily easily viewed as) The Residents seems to have a heightened appeal. so that's something. it's an acknowledgement of how they are perceived and then subverting that perception by assuming identities. perhaps not identities of real people, but identities of a "Residents cover band"- that is still, apparently, The Residents. it's mental gymnastics, and it can make a lot of people frustrated or even angry. somehow, that feels intentional. clutching to ideas of who and what they are serves no purpose. though they may assume the shape of a container they construct, they are not the container. they are the amorphous liquid that slips in and out of it with ease.
i like the stage setup and the costuming a lot. it's both familiar and foreign. sure, it's a living room, but it's a Residents living room. the way they interact with the space is fun too. the handheld projector is so neato, and i love how they display funny lights on the circular disks in the back during songs. really wild stuff. the idea feels both well developed and full of potential- potential that allowed for everything that was to come (and is still coming!) i like that Randy's mask changed a few times before we got our current look. because, like, Yeesh. that face at the start of the tour was sort of... jaundiced and not great. but now he looks fantastic, with his liver spots and all.
i could go on about the stories, and i will.
Night Train to Nowhere has always fascinated me. something about Singing Rz reading all of the stories is compelling to me. Florence and Milton are, quite honestly, better on it than on Randy's Ghost Stories. this is not to say that the latter is bad, no. but i prefer the former. Ghost Snake's visuals on the DVD are so fun, and the hot dog mask.
the hot dog mask.
i sort of wish there was the video for Phantom Fingers on there, because i think that one is special. as he describes his unique ability, the clapping in the background is both ironic and delightful. you can hear the satisfied, knowing smirk in his voice. i also like the way he says "stomach".
Perchance to Dream is interesting to me, since it's an evolution of the Howard story from the Adobe show. sort of a deep cut, that one. but that one feels like it's Molly's by default. i don't think it would be the same if anyone else were to tell it, because it would be different. because it wouldn't be the same. ahem. it has this sweet undertone of understandable delusion to it. so sweet, and coming from a place of such hurt, that it feels cruel to think "well, no, you can't sleep 24 hours a day because that's a coma." logic takes a back seat to emotion there, and it would be cruel to point it out.
Milton is, like, Actually Creepy. hearing the descriptions of it Milton burning alive in the garage spoken with a tone that implies the presence of a lie is unsettling. the details of his singing, the hints of something much larger going on behind his death... whough. it's a lot. and the ending of "I can't kill him again! He's- he's already dead." yee-goddamn-haw.
the truly spooky one is The Talking Light, obviously. there is a deep tragedy to the ring having been in the baby's hand's the whole time. the desperation and exhaustion of the child's mother almost sends chills down my spine. the whole thing is wild and a lot of fun. and super duper creepy-spooky-scary. perhaps Spooktacular.
ok, i think that's it.